Refrigerator rack bottle guide



Oct..23, 1951 D. D. ALLEN 2,572,090

REFRIGERATOR RACK BOTTLE GUIDE Filed May 17,1949

Patented Oct. 23, 1951 OFFICE REFRIGERATOR RACK BOTTLE GUIDE Durwood D. Allen, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 17, 1949, Serial No. 93,740

1 Claim. 1

This invention is a container controller for use in industrial refrigerators having shelf racks on which numerous cans and/or bottles are placed to be chilled and stored, especially for instant, retail sales from the stock.

In such rack storage it is desirable that the bottles or cans be kept in orderly rows both for ease of access and removal from the front door edge of the rack, and for quick stocking-up of the rack goods in given refrigerators. It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, loweost, practical, durable and fool-proof container controller and guide which maybe readily, fixedly combined with the respective shelves of a given refrigerator, whether of front-door-fill or a walk-in type.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container guide which provides for storing of containers of different kinds and sizes on a single shelf rack, and includes a plurality of elongate, light-weight separator members each supported in a generally horizontal position adjacent the top face area of the given rack and capable of free, relative, lateral shift to accommodate interposition of like containers to form a front-to-rear row between two contiguous and substantially parallel guide members; all of the guide members of each shelf rack unit being mounted for such lateral movement on a supporting device rigidly affixed to the rack to prevent undesired longitudinal shift of the members.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a guide, for the stated purposes, which may be readily attached to a given refrigerator without need of any mechanical revision of the rack.

The invention resides in certain advances in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and has, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations and details of means, and manner of operation will be made manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiments; it being understood that modifications, variations, adaptations and equivalents may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principles of the invention as it is claimed in conclusion hereof.

Figure l is a perspective of a combined rack and container guide, partly broken away; a bottle being shown on the rack. Figure 2 is a detail section showing a guide fastening means. Figure 3 is a perspective of a modified form of guide member, and Figure 4 illustrates still another form. Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section of an adaptation to a rear-end loading, walk-in type refrigerator, stock rack and attached guide: device.

A rack is here shown as including a rectangularframe having a front bar 2v and a rear bar 21" connected by sides 3, and front-to-rear rods 4.- form supports for imposed containers; a bottle 3 is shown.

The instant container guide includes a suitable; number of elongate members 5 shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 as of flat-sheet material sufficiently stiff. to form firm side controlling guides for the. adjacent containers supported on the rack.

Fig. 3 shows a guide member 5' of wire material;

A simple and practical form of support for the system of guide members, of a rack unit, is shown: as including a front rail device composed of telescopic, transverse, horizontal parts 6 and 6 on. which are slidably threaded the front ends of the members 5 (Figs. 1 and 5). The ends of the rail parts 66 are firmly supported in longitudinal, side walls I having foot flanges If resting on the rack frame.

The ends of the rails 66' are bent down and under the sides of the frame 22r and bolts 8 fasten the flanges If and the toes 5 of the rail to the rack; a rear rail similar to the front rail being in a like manner fixed to the frame. Thereby, the strip members 5 are suspended at each end and can be laterally shifted according to the size of the containers.

If desired, the front ends of the guide members 5 may freely repose, in vertical plane position, on the front frame bar 2, Fig. 4, to provide for ready placement or removal of a container.

To facilitate rear loading of a rack, as in walkin refrigerators, a rear supporting rail Sr is fixed to and below the rear end of the rack frame, thus leaving the top of the rack clear between the longitudinal guide members. The higher, front rail 66 holds the strip, guide members in vertical-plane position.

It is understood that containers such as cans, can be laid transversely between contiguous guide members to roll forwardly to the front of the rack, and the guide members may be of any desired height for such use to enable horizonta1 lay of cans in rows of desired height.

What is claimed is:

A guide device, for rows of containers, including a basal structure, a pair of horizontal, vertical-plane side walls extending from front to rear of and fixed to said structure, front and rear rails spaced above said structure and being parallel and mounted in the ends of said walls, and vertical-plane front to rear separator strips 3 loosely suspended at their ends on said rails for lateral adjustment between the fixed walls to accommodate and guide interposed rows of given containers supported on the basal structure.

DURWOOD D. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hackley Oct. 29, 1929 Stratton Sept. '7, 1937 Taylor July 19, 1938 Bishop Apr. 21, 1942 McKeehan Jan. 23, 1951 

